What are your opinions on ethanol from corn?

Question

I do not like corn ethanol. I have heard that it can take more energy to produce than it produces, and it uses up land that can be used to raise crops for people and livestock to eat, raising food prices.

Answer 1

Ethanol from corn is a loosing proposition. It is better to buy ethanol from Brazil, at $.91/gal FOB  USA, which is made from the residue of sugar cane, AFTER the sugar has been taken out of it.

Why can't we make ethanol from corn STALKS?

Regards,

Dan

Answer 2

its clean but there is no way to produce enough for the whole country. its a good idea but not very effective on the big scale

Answer 3

costs are higher to produce 1 gal then its worth,when we as people put more energy into making fuel than feeding ourselves we are in dire straits

Answer 4

it makes me wanna poo myself

Answer 5

It is a good first step; but not a long term solution.

It is a first step toward some other method of creating ethanol, methanol or some other fuel. We have to learn somehow and this is one way. Now we know about it, we can use what we learned to move to the next level.

Answer 6

The cost benefits are low.  It takes gasoline or diesel powered machinery to plant, cultivate, fertilize, weed, harvest, and transport the crop and that's even before it's transformed into ethanol.  

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Another plant called switch grass has been shown to produce more ethanol per acre and it not much more than a weed, grown easily, does not need fertilization and is drought hardy, but corn planters are seeing dollar signs with the latest oil crisis and are looking to cash in.

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If 100% of the annual U.S. corn crop were converted to ethanol it wouldn't last us a month and it would drive up the cost of a lot of other products that we use every day.

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Answer 7

It kills the environment and animals

http://byderule.multiply.com/journal/ite...

It kills people

http://byderule.multiply.com/journal/ite...

Answer 8

I can't stay quiet any longer about the politics of this land.  I have been contacting my senators and congressman about a couple of issues, and they were very glad to hear from me.  Here are the 2 issues:



1.  The senate is voting soon on the Supplemental Spending Bill for the Iraq War, and Diane Feinstein put in an amendment to grant amnesty to 1 million ILLEGAL immigrants because the produce is not getting picked in time.  Our economy is in so much trouble, and there are lots of LEGAL citizens that need the money and would be willing to work in agriculture.  There are plenty of youth that need good, hard-working jobs to earn them the money they need for college, cars, etc.  Feinstein's amendment is very inappropriate.  Once you start the amnesty policy, there will be no end.  I just saw a presentation on how excessive immigration will undo our country in many ways...too far to mention.



2.  Our country has lots of oil reserves in many states and out in the surrounding oceans.  We have the technology to drill for it in a responsible way to conserve the environment.  The Dakotas, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah have oil shale that can be successfully developed for oil, and the Energy Policy of 2005 directed the BLM to lease these lands to those willing to develop the shale oil.  Now a moratorium was imposed as part of the Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2008 to NOT allow the BLM to lease land for shale oil development.



It is my opinion that we should be calling our representatives and letting them know we will not vote for them if they don't allow us to glean our own oil resources in our own land and help our own people and our economy.  To go begging to Saudi Arabia for more oil is humiliating and unnecessary.  This is the biggest transfer of wealth in the history of the world to take our money by the billions and give it to countries that are not friendly to us and then prohibit our own people from providing for themselves.



I have sent this out to many in different states.  If we each do our part, and spread the word, something can be done about this situation.  We the people are still in charge if we will take the responsibility.  I had a very good experience calling my representatives, both Republican and Democrat.  Their phone numbers were in the phone directory.  



Thanks for reading, and I hope you will take action.

Answer 9

Well, down in South America (Brazil I think?) they raise corn for fuel.....which makes their gasoline cost about $0.45 per gal.

There is far too much idle land in the USA for ethanol to make food cost to rise.

It might cost us (USA) more than it costs in S.A., but at least all the profits would stay here instead of going to the Middle East. Plus, some one here would earn a living plowing the fields, picking the corn, and processing it.

Think of the billions of $$$ that this would generate and stay here-not go away.

I believe ethanol my be our future.